Time Flies But You're The Pilot
by Hisa-Ai
Summary: He never even knew how they got on this subject half the time, it just… God, it always just happened, didn't it? They'd be talking about something else, and somehow or another they'd end up on this topic and have this argument, and it was stupid and pointless, and Arthur was really tired of having it already. "Right, okay—kiss me," Merlin said suddenly.
**I pretty much think about writing something like this every time I rewatch the Merlin pilot, so I finally got around to actually doing it.**

 **The title is taken from a line in the song by The Script called** _This = Love_ **, though, sadly for everyone, the fic itself wasn't quite inspired by the song.**

 **Disclaimer:** I don't think I own Merlin? I mean, last I checked I didn't, but in all fairness it has been a while since I last checked so who knows at this point.

* * *

 _Time Flies But You're The Pilot_

* * *

*.*.*.*.*

Merlin was completely and totally full of shit.

No offense to him by any means, of course, because Arthur loved him and for the most part there weren't _too_ many secrets between them anymore—slowly but surely, everything was getting cleared up; one secret and one revelation at a time, everything was coming together for the pair of them. As time went on and everything _continued_ to come together, Arthur was comfortable enough to press tentative, careful kisses to Merlin's lips one night in the middle of one such conversation. And Merlin was comfortable enough to return these kisses, to deepen them, press against Arthur with more fervor and enthusiasm, urging the both of them on in their ministrations.

They were both comfortable, and they were both alright, and everything was slowly becoming okay.

Except Merlin was _still_ completely full of shit.

Not in a bad way, Arthur thought, but in a ridiculous way. In a _still telling little white lies_ way. It was mostly alright though, Merlin had had _years_ of having to lie about every little thing that he did, it was probably nothing more than habit that he needed a little more time to break. Sooner or later, he would grow out of it and stop telling Arthur such ridiculous bullshit like he was.

"I'm not _lying_ , Arthur," Merlin insisted, tone somewhere between amused and indignant, pointing his fork at Arthur over the dinner that the two of them were mostly enjoying alone that night. The wine was too sweet for Arthur's taste and the meat needed a bit more salt, but other than that, he was enjoying Merlin's company.

Up until he started going on with his bullshit once again, that was. Because Arthur was _seriously_ getting tired of Merlin trying to sell him that same old lie by now. It had been amusing at first, but now… _now_ it was really getting ridiculous.

"You _are_ ," Arthur replied, shaking his head as he took a bite of his dinner.

"I'm **_not_**."

"Yes, you are. And I don't understand why, you don't have to lie to me anymore, Merlin, I thought we were past that," he lamented, shaking his head, thinking that it was a damn shame to lie so much to someone you were supposed to love when you were supposed to be in the process of cleaning up all your past lies. How were they supposed to continue with their relationship if Merlin continued to lie to Arthur so _obviously_?

"That's exactly my point, why would I lie to you? What do I have to _gain_ by lying to you about _anything_ at this point? Nothing, that's what. _Especially_ about something like this, it's… it would be a stupid, pointless waste of a lie, so trust me, I'm not lying to you, Arthur."

"There's no way you're not lying," Arthur said, taking a sip of his wine, shaking his head yet again.

Merlin let out a sigh, sat his fork down on his plate, seemingly as tired of Arthur insisting it was a lie as Arthur was of Merlin insisting that it _wasn't_. He never even knew how they got on this subject half the time, it just… God, it always just _happened_ , didn't it? They'd be talking about something else, and somehow or another they'd end up on _this_ topic and have _this_ argument, and it was stupid and pointless, and Arthur was really tired of having it already.

"Right, okay— _kiss me_ ," Merlin said suddenly, a tone of finality about him as he did.

Arthur raised a slow eyebrow at him, that was an _interesting_ development to this argument. He didn't _mind_ kissing Merlin, of course, would have been glad to, but, well… it was a bit of an odd time to just _demand_ it of Arthur, all things considered.

" _Why_?" he asked, setting his fork down on his own plate.

Merlin rolled his eyes and moved quickly from his seat across the table from Arthur to the chair just next to the king instead, something of a grin on his face as he did so that Arthur couldn't help but mirror despite his cautious curiosity.

"Because I can _prove it_ if you kiss me," he said, leaning in towards Arthur just like he was going to kiss him. Arthur licked his lips, moved towards him to meet him for a kiss without thinking…

And then moved out of the way at the last second despite his better judgement. Kissing Merlin was just about his favorite thing to do while they were both still clothed; he was an _idiot_ for turning away and ruining the moment. But, well, how could he kiss Merlin if Merlin didn't further explain just what the hell he was on about? He'd be too worried about why Merlin wanted to kiss him at a time like this to actually enjoy the kiss.

Merlin frowned at him, lips a pout that Arthur wanted to kiss away before he reconsidered; he wasn't kissing right now Merlin for a _reason_ , he had to remember that.

"How exactly is _kissing_ going to prove anything?"

"Because," Merlin sighed. "it always happens when we kiss and for a moment just after; I'm pretty sure that I can make it happen for you too if I concentrate, and that will _prove_ it to you. And it's not like you have anything to lose, do you?" Merlin was quick to add when it looked like Arthur wanted to open his mouth to retort, and oh, did he want to retort alright. "Whether it works or not we still get to kiss, so…" he smiled again, giving a little shake of his head as he leaned back towards Arthur to try again for that kiss.

Arthur didn't stop him that time, simply leaned in towards him and reached a hand out to cup the side of Merlin's face as their lips met and Arthur melted into the moment perfectly, body relaxing and sighing into the kiss that could have lasted forever for all that Arthur cared.

Instead of feeling Merlin's hands both find Arthur's body in some way or another as they usually did whenever they kissed like this, Arthur heard the sound of something being knocked to the side and then—then he felt _something_.

It wasn't the usual _something_ that he felt whenever Merlin kissed him, wasn't the _everything is right in the world and I could just **die**_ pounding of his heart or singing of his blood, wasn't the fluttering of butterflies or the rest of the world melting away and his own damn name leaving him completely in favor of Merlin's—no, it was _something **else**_ , it was… a fuzzy, warm feeling, but still somehow sharp and cool and all-encompassing at once, like Arthur was in some distant dream that was reshaping and twisting his whole body and soul into something else beside himself.

He'd never felt anything like it before, and if he hadn't been kissing Merlin, it would have been mildly disconcerting, but, well, he _was_ kissing Merlin, so as it was it wasn't _too_ much of a bother. Though, now that he thought about it, he was _still_ _kissing_ _**Mer** lin_, and he wasn't one to complain about that, but it felt like it'd been going on for a lifetime **at least.**

Just as he thought that, just as he realized it, Merlin pulled back, and suddenly Arthur's head was swimming and colors were too bright, though he'd yet to even open his eyes.

"Open your eyes, Arthur," Merlin murmured, his voice soft and careful and prodding.

Arthur obeyed, eyes finding Merlin's slowly, as though waking from a dream, that certainly felt… well, Arthur couldn't say for sure what it felt like, but it was definitely different, that much he could give Merlin, though that didn't exactly _prove_ what he'd been trying to prove…

"Look, quick, before it stops," he nodded to the side, and Arthur looked, saw his goblet of wine falling to the floor, thinking that _that_ was why Merlin's hands had been absent, he'd been too busy making a mess of things, he wanted to snort to himself, _would_ have snorted to himself it not for the fact—

—that it was falling slowly. Much, _much_ too slowly to be natural. It could almost be frozen in midair, how slowly it was moving. Arthur blinked in surprise, and in the next moment it was clattering to the floor as quickly as it should have been, the wine in it that Arthur didn't really care for anyway spilling across the floor.

He looked back to Merlin then, still blinking, head clearing, waking from whatever dream he'd been in, body fine and normal and _everything_ fine and normal except that… Merlin had just… _how_ had he just…

A smug sort of grin stretched itself across Merlin's face as realization flashed across Arthur's, and he winced in anticipation of Merlin's _I told you so_ that followed as soon as it should have.

"What did I tell you? I wasn't _lying_ , Arthur, I can slow down time."

Arthur shook his head, still disbelieving that that had _actually_ _just_ happened, but God, it had. They had kissed, and Merlin had slowed down time, and it had been the most incredible thing Arthur had ever witnessed or felt in his life.

"How—?"

"I don't…" Merlin shrugged sheepishly. "I don't really know. That's, uhm, the one thing I've never quite been able to do on purpose, slowing down time? It's always… instinctual," he explained. "Whenever something happens that I need time to process, to figure out a way to fix it or save someone or… _something_ , it just happens. But then I kiss you and… it always happens. It's like my magic wants the moment to last forever, or at least as long as possible, so it always slows down time. Never happens when we do other stuff, if you're wondering; I can't make your orgasm last for an hour or anything like that so don't get any ideas," he warned teasingly.

"I thought if I focused I could maybe make it happen for you too, I can't _make_ time slow down any time I want to, but I thought if my magic cared enough to make the kiss last forever, it might want it to last forever for you too. It was a hunch, but it worked," he finished, clearly satisfied with himself that it had.

Arthur nodded, still processing, still unbelieving that Merlin had been telling the truth. _Of course_ he had been, Arthur realized just then, what reason did he have for lying to Arthur about anything anymore, let alone something like _that_?

"I guess I owe you an apology for accusing you of lying all this time, don't I?" he asked.

Merlin's eyes brightened and he hummed his answer, leaning in towards Arthur slowly.

"I'm afraid I only accept my apologies in the form of kisses now," he informed Arthur, reaching a hand out to run through Arthur's hair tenderly, playfully.

"If you promise to do that _trick_ again, I'll promise not to make a decree forbidding anyone else from apologizing to you ever again."

Merlin rolled his eyes, seemed to consider the offer before he shrugged, said, "I wouldn't let anyone else apologize to me anyway, but I suppose I can do my _trick_ for you again anyway— but only because you're pretty and I happen to have a thing for blonds."

"Lucky me," Arthur murmured, closing the rest of the distance to press his lips to Merlin's, and feeling that odd and yet already familiar feeling take over him within the moment.

He thought then, with what part of his mind that could _actually_ still think, that he might have to apologize for every single time he'd accused Merlin of lying, if _this_ was the way it was going to go.

*.*.*.*.*


End file.
